Lost woman thankful for kindness in “Hub City”

Posted: Wednesday, Dec 26th, 2012BY: Emily Bruns

ROCHELLE — Last year on Dec. 23, Janice Goede, from Bensonville, was driving alone in the cold winter night so that she could make a pit stop in Galena before seeing her daughters in Cuba City, Wis. Unfortunately for Goede, she found herself terribly lost and became increasingly frustrated as the night grew later.

Being 80 years old and in delicate physical condition before her hip surgery, Goede grew concerned of where she would stay for the night, as reaching her destination at a decent hour was hopeless.

She looked up at the “Welcome to Rochelle” sign and knew she was far off from her destination. Without a cell phone, Goede found herself in downtown Rochelle. She said that the streets were dark, aside from a bar that was lit up with blue Christmas lights on the outside. She could not recall what the name of the bar was, but she said it was “hopping” at around 11:30 p.m.